A Nigerian political economist and chieftain of the Labour Party, Professor Pat Utomi, has said the Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi was discovered by angry Nigerian youths who were sick of the horrible status of their nation.
Utomi, who is the Convener of The BIG-TENT Coalition of Political Parties, Social Movements and Civil Society Organisations for Obi-Datti, stated this during an exclusive interview with The Niche.
He said, “The youths of Nigeria, fed up enough about the structure and the nature of Nigeria, seeing it denying them opportunity began to respond first by leaving the country – the so-called Japa phenomenon.”
The former presidential candidate and founder of Centre for Values in Leadership also said the youth registered their first grievances against the government through #EndSARS protests staged to call for the termination of police brutality.
According to him, “Those who could were leaving. Many were dying in the deserts, just looking for opportunity anywhere outside of Nigeria.
“And then, some decided that it was time to fight back. And their first form of organisation to fight back was against police brutality – ENDSARS. And the state met them with brutality.
“And without their saying a lot, they then determined that they were going to go out and organise and use the political process to defeat those who were oppressing them, those who kept their knees on the necks of the generation next.
“So, out of nowhere sprang what has come to be known as the support groups. They somehow discovered Peter Obi from what he was saying and decided that he will be their vehicle.
Professor Pat continued: “And that vehicle built its momentum. The momentum that that vehicle built was to say to the next generation there is hope; if you organise, you can stop agonising and get rid of these people who keep you down.
“At first, they thought the people were joking. One day they woke up and found out that it wasn’t a joke anymore and they got vicious. They got dangerous,” Pat Utomi said.
